CDC Surveying Local and State Food Safety Programs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants to survey some local and state food safety programs. A notice of this intent was posted in the Federal Register on January 17, 2014.

CDC funds and works with local and state health departments in California, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, and Tennessee to identify underlying factors of outbreaks, to translate findings into improved prevention efforts. In addition, the collaboration offers training opportunities and strengthens partnerships among epidemiology, laboratory, and environmental health programs. The agency wants to expand this information on a more national scale.

Unfortunately, cuts in public spending have led to reduction in fundings for public health programs. Fifty-seven percent of local health departments reduced or eliminated at least one public health program in 2011. The CDC wants a two-year program approved by the Office of Management and Budget to conduct a “Evaluation of Food Safety Programs” survey among a sample of health departments.

The agency wants to find out if there is a relationship between funding status and activities, and wants to collect data on the programs’ statuses and activities. There are more than 3,000 local and state health departments in the United States.